Winner: Pouneh Lechner, Account Supervisor, Sterling Communications
Pouneh Lechner treats her work as the account supervisor for Greenwave Systems’ account like a personal mission. Highlighting her achievements over the past year is like laying out a roadmap for how tech PR ought to look: regular, positive and significant coverage in Network World, The Wall Street Journal, InfoWorld, Forbes, TechTarget, IoT Evolution, InformationAge, ZDNet, CNBC and more.
Lechner's continuous efforts to raise Greenwave’s profile have helped the company snare significant attention and numerous industry awards, including Frost & Sullivan’s 2016 North American Innovative Technology Award for Entrepreneurial Company of the Year, a 2016 Red Herring Top 100 Award, 2016 IoT Evolution Product of the Year and Broadband World Forum Most Innovative IoT Solution 2015.
Lechner is well-versed in the technology landscape and has cultivated excellent relationships with pertinent media contacts. She knows all of the right people, respects their time and gets them to pay attention when it matters most. But what is particularly impressive is how deeply she’s educated herself on Greenwave; its market, product, history, capabilities, potential, collective strengths and the individual backgrounds of most of its leadership team. She should give lessons on “How to Know Your Client.”
Lechner has proven to Greenwave that she’s not interested in chalking up her PR “wins” for them; rather, she’s solely interested in using her skills to ensure Greenwave’s continued business success. Since taking on Greenwave’s social media channels a year ago, she has led efforts that have resulted in 5,300 new LinkedIn followers (a 140 percent increase) and over 600 new Twitter followers (a 50 percent increase).
Honorable Mentions:
- Jessica Griffith, Pascale Communications
- Zinie Chen Sampson, Baretz+Brunelle